Many antimicrobials are known to protect against specific and general bacteria. But, most of them display incompatibilities with the human skin and the mouth cavity mucous membranes, such as irritations and allergies, and are toxic to human beings as well.
On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that esters derived from lauric acid and L-arginine are biologically active substances, in particular, the ethyl ester of the laurylamide of the L-arginine monohydrochloride, hereafter referred to as LAE. LAE has the chemical structure of formula (1).

Biological studies carried out at different research centers showed LAE to act mainly over the external and cytoplasmatic membrane of the microorganisms and, also, into the cytoplasmatic medium, preventing their proliferation. Its action depends on the kind of microorganism and on the exposure time.
Besides, its metabolism in rats has been studied showing a fast absorption and metabolism into naturally-occurring amino acids and the fatty acid lauric acid, which are eventually excreted as carbon dioxide and urea. Toxicological studies have demonstrated that LAE is completely harmless to animals and humans.
These facts make LAE and related compounds very interesting as preservatives for food and cosmetic applications.
The preparation of these products by traditional chemical methods has been described in patent applications ES-515643, PCT/ES95/00027 and PCT/EP00/05072